Always Somewhere. Never Nowhere.

November 17, 2013July 3, 2014

Cronut, Beachside

I made a rare, Saturday morning drive to Huntington Beach. Clouds hovered over my apartment, but the closer we got to the beach, the brighter the sun shone through. I was craving a bagel sandwich from The Donuttery; my heart was set on a lox bagel. I decided I wanted to enjoy my food on the beach, but with already a half an hour drive to The Donuttery, I needed to eat there. The small shop was filled with a line to the door, which was almost a relief because I thought that line would give me time to decide on a donut. Before you knew it, I was at the front of the line. I immediately knew I wanted the Goldie Lox bagel smoked salmon, tomato, red onion, cream cheese, capers and lemon pepper, but the choice of donuts were vast, I couldn’t decide what direction to go with donuts ranging from pumpkin, red velvet, maple bacon bar, and wait, a cronut?

The cronut, the item that was continuously in the food press this year after debuting in New York City. The cronut, the union of a croissant and donut. It wasn’t the original, but I had to try it. I opted for the glazed cronut. I decided to save it for the beach to enjoy with coffee and the calming backdrop, as I immediately devoured my bagel. Satisfaction.

I arrived at the beach, anxious to try this newfound pastry. The outside of the cronut was crusted in a sugary glaze, like a donut, while the inside was flaky and could be pulled apart in layers, traits of the croissant. I’ll usually choose a croissant over a donut to avoid such a sweet indulgence, so the croissant characteristics brought to the donut created a perfect balance. Not to mention the joy in now being able to peel apart a donut.

I took in the beautiful scenery as I alternated between sipping my coffee and eating my cronut. It’s these rare moments that make me completely appreciate living in southern California. A morning spent with good eats, fresh ocean air, perfect weather and my boy to share the experience with.